1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the production of hydroelectric power, and more particularly to a combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system wherein a combustible fuel mixture is introduced and ignited in one or more combustion cylinders containing a liquid and the force of the combustion acts on the surface of the liquid to transfer a slug of the liquid to a gas pressurized vessel and the pressurized liquid from the vessel is used to operate a hydroelectric generator and perform other useful work.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Electrical generation companies normally operate on a power grid system, wherein numerous individual power plants of the fossil fuel type, nuclear type, or the like are joined together over common transmitting lines. The electricity is usually generated using rotating generating equipment. Most electrical power generating facilities in the United States, at the present time, utilize a gas turbine generator as a prime power source for generating electricity that operates on a combustible fuel, usually natural gas, but some employ gas obtained by coal gasification or liquid fuel in vapor form.
Another frequently employed means for generating electricity is a hydraulic turbine generator utilizing the energy of the head of an elevated supply of water. Commonly, the electrical generation and distribution industry also utilizes pump-back facilities which store energy in the form of water head, utilizing energy during the periods when it is most readily and economically available and when surplus generating capacity exists, and recovering the energy to meet peak load demands. Typically, these pumpback facilities use electrical power to drive a generator which, when energized, functions as an electric motor, to power the turbines which, when driven, function as a pump, to move water from a lower elevation through a penstock to an upper elevation, usually an elevated lake. When the flow of water is reversed, the turbine drives the generator to recover the energy. A substantial amount of energy is required to move the water to the upper location and thus the recovered energy is always less than the amount of energy required to move the water to the upper elevation.
Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,202 discloses an apparatus for generating hydroelectric power comprising a first tank and a second tank each connected by respective pipes to a power plant for conducting combustion products away from the power plant and into the top portion of the tanks above the liquid contained therein. The lower end of each tank is connected by ducts to a high pressure water storage tank. The water storage tank is connected by pipes to direct a stream of water onto a Pelton wheel or turbine. The spent water flows down by gravity into the first and second tanks through ducts.
Tubeuf, U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,555 discloses a hydraulic heat engine that operates in a submerged body of water. The heat engine has an upright cylinder which receives water from the body of water in which it is submerged through a one-way valve. A fuel mixture enters an expansion chamber at the upper end of the cylinder and is combusted. The liquid leaving the expansion chamber is propelled down and out from a lower part of the cylinder and transmitted into a first transfer chamber of another cylinder having at least two pistons secured to a piston rod that rotatably drives an output shaft. The return stroke of the piston rod moves the second piston on the piston rod in a second transfer chamber to push a fresh supply of liquid therefrom into the upright cylinder. Fluid from a supply is admitted to the second transfer chamber during the second piston""s down stroke and fluid from the first transfer chamber is exhausted during the first piston""s return stroke. A control device such as a cam arrangement driven by the output shaft controls valving in the conduits to regulate the supply of expansible propellant and the flow of liquid during the operating cycle.
Liquid piston engines of the type taught by Johnson and heat engines taught by Tubeuf have been in existence for many years. Most of these types of systems have serious deficiencies. One deficiency is low power output, even though the single explosion results in a large energy pulse. The total time required to inject the combustible mixture, to fire it, to displace the pulse of water may only be a few seconds, however, the time required to refill the cylinder may be much longer. Thus, the power level consisting of energy pulses per second is significantly low. Another deficiency is the loss of energy of each pulse when the exhaust is vented to atmosphere. This equates to the (manifold pressure) X (explosion cylinder volume) on the ideal gas with no heat loss.
My previous U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,615, which is hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if fully set forth herein, discloses a combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system that utilizes first and second combustion cylinders that contain a liquid (such as water) and receive a combustible fuel/oxidizer mixture that is ignited and the explosive force of the combustion acts on the surface of the liquid to transfer a metered slug of the liquid from the first and second combustion cylinders in alternating cycles into a pressurized vessel containing a pressurized gas (preferably an inert gas). The pressurized liquid from the pressurized vessel serves as a xe2x80x9chead of waterxe2x80x9d that can be used to operate a water wheel (Pelton wheel) or hydroelectric generator and perform other useful work. The transferred liquid is replaced in the combustion cylinder, another charge of the fuel/oxidizer is introduced and ignited and the process is repeated. A fluid transfer cylinder divided into first and second chambers by a movable piston is used to increase the rate at which liquid is conducted into the first and second combustion cylinders, wherein its first and second chambers are alternately filled with replacement liquid at a first rate between combustion cycles of one of the first and second combustion cylinders and discharged into the other one of the first and second combustion cylinders at a greater rate.
The present invention has some features that are described in my previous patent and also contains significant improvements and features not disclosed in the previous patent. Although my previous patent has an improved cycle rate, the present invention incorporates a closed loop system that significantly lowers the elapsed time period of each single cycle, and increases the production of power, efficiency of operation, and reliability.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular, by a combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system that utilizes one or more combustion cylinders that contain a liquid (such as water) and receive a combustible fuel/oxidizer mixture that is ignited and the explosive force of the combustion acts on the surface of the liquid to transfer a metered slug of the liquid to a pressurized vessel containing a pressurized gas (preferably an inert gas). The pressurized liquid from the pressurized vessel serves as a xe2x80x9chead of waterxe2x80x9d that can be used to operate a water wheel (Pelton wheel) or hydroelectric generator and perform other useful work. The transferred liquid is replaced in the combustion cylinders, another charge of the fuel/oxidizer is introduced and ignited and the process is repeated. Replacement liquid is introduced into the combustion cylinders through a closed loop system utilizing the exhaust of the combustion cycles to significantly lower the elapsed time period of each single cycle, and increases the production of power, efficiency of operation, and reliability.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system that utilizes readily available fuel and liquid products to produce hydroelectric power inexpensively.
It is another object of this invention to provide a combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system for use as an emergency power supply to provide hydroelectric power during power outages and when existing power sources are unavailable.
Another object of this invention is to provide a combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system having fuel and pressure requirements that can be served from existing plant or domestic drops from natural gas pipelines.
Another object of this invention is to provide a combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system that produces and stores energy in the form of pressurized water that is used as a head of water to operate a hydroelectric power generating apparatus without having to move the water to an upper location and is not dependent upon being located near a lake or reservoir.
Another object of this invention is to provide a combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system that utilizes combustion cylinders to produce and store energy in the form of pressurized water that is used as a head of water to operate a hydroelectric power generating apparatus wherein replacement liquid is introduced into the combustion cylinders through a closed loop system utilizing the exhaust of the combustion cycles to significantly lower the elapsed time period of each single cycle, and increases the production of power, efficiency of operation, and reliability.
Another object of this invention is to provide a combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system that is suitable for individual domestic residential use and for large-scale commercial use to provide hydroelectric power.
Another object of this invention is to provide a combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system that is non-polluting when operating on natural gas.
Another object of this invention is to provide a combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system that does not require a muffler and has low-noise emission.
A further object of this invention is to provide a combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system that has a minimum of moving parts and is reliable in operation.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system that is inexpensive to manufacture, operate, and maintain.
Other objects of the invention will become apparent from time to time throughout the specification and claims as hereinafter related.
The above noted objects and other objects of the invention are accomplished by a combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system that has one or more combustion cylinders that contain a liquid (such as water) and receive a combustible fuel/oxidizer mixture that is ignited and the explosive force of the combustion acts on the surface of the liquid to transfer a metered slug of the liquid to a pressurized vessel containing a pressurized gas (preferably an inert gas). The pressurized liquid from the pressurized vessel serves as a xe2x80x9chead of waterxe2x80x9d that can be used to operate a water wheel (Pelton wheel) or hydroelectric generator and perform other useful work. The transferred liquid is replaced in the combustion cylinders, another charge of the fuel/oxidizer is introduced and ignited and the process is repeated. Replacement liquid is introduced into the combustion cylinders through a closed loop system utilizing the exhaust of the combustion cycles to significantly lower the elapsed time period of each single cycle, and increases the production of power, efficiency of operation, and reliability.